ML15334A397
| ML15334A397 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | South Texas |
| Issue date: | 11/30/2015 |
| From: | Lisa Regner Plant Licensing Branch IV |
| To: | |
| Regner L, NRR/DORL/LPLIV-1 | |
| References | |
| TAC MF7116 | |
| Download: ML15334A397 (29) | |
Text
STPNOC Planned License Amendment Request:
Technical Specification 5.3.2, Control Rod Assemblies STP
Participants:
Michael Murray, Regulatory Affairs Manager Roland Dunn, Nuclear Fuel and Analysis Manager Michael Berg, Design Engineering Manager Wendy Brost, Licensing Engineer STPNOC/NRC Pre-Submittal Meeting December 1, 2015
Objectives
- Provide a description of the Unit 1 D-6 Control Rod Drive Mechanism (CRDM) issue
- Provide overview of planned implementation actions
- Provide overview of expected License Amendment Request (LAR) content
- Discuss planned submittal date and need date
- Answer NRC questions 2
Presentation Outline
- Overview of Proposed Change
- Background
- Plant Changes Required
- Impact on Safety Analyses
- Regulatory Evaluation
- Summary Conclusions
- Proposed Schedule
- Additional Questions and Recap 3
Problem Statement
- Control Rod D-6 could not be reliably withdrawn during startup testing 4
Overview of Proposed Change
- Requesting proposed amendment to allow Unit 1 to resume operation with 56 full-length control rod assemblies
- Proposed change to TS 5.3.2 (change bar on right):
5
Overview of Proposed Change
- There is no methodology change involved with this change to the TS
- The proposed change would last through the end of Unit 1 Cycle 20
- One cycle of operation
- TS requirement to contain 57 control rods will remain unchanged for Unit 2 6
Control Rod Configuration
- Rod D-6 is a Shutdown Bank rod normally positioned fully withdrawn at power
- 57 Total Control Rods
- 29 Control Bank Rods
- 28 Shutdown Bank Rods 7
Background -
CRDM Description 8
9 Background - Rod Holdout Lock Ring
- Deformation in D-6 Rod Holdout lock ring
- Initiated in 2012 during rod control sequencing while unlocking control rods
- Source of sequencing issue has been addressed with a design change
Background -
Condition of Control Rod D-6
- Control Rod D-6 is not functioning as expected
- D-6 unable to be moved using normal methods during troubleshooting
- Confirming that this issue is confined to the CRDM for Rod D-6 10
Extent of Condition
- Deformation on lockout ring is only seen on Unit 1 Rod D-6 CRDM
- Extent of condition - other 56 rods unaffected
- Visual inspection has been performed on other 56 CRDMs
- Plans for future monitoring
- On startup: CRDM testing, rod drop timing testing
- Periodic control rod exercise at power
- Continue to evaluate coil traces
- Unit 2 CRDMs have been monitored and indicate reliable operation 11
Background -
Pressure Boundary 12
- Components being removed are internal to the RCS pressure boundary
- Pressure boundary:
butt weld between CRDM latch housing and rod travel housing
D-6 CRDM Replacement
- In-situ CRDM replacement would be a first-of-a-kind activity in United States
- Requires special tooling that does not currently exist
- Lengthy preparation required for building mockup, testing, developing/obtaining tools 13
Plant Changes Required
- Remove Rod Cluster Control Assembly (RCCA) and associated drive shaft at core location D-6
- Some plant changes to Digital Rod Position Indication (DRPI) and Rod Control systems are required
- Install guide tube flow restrictor and fuel assembly thimble plug to maintain core and vessel thermal hydraulic characteristics
- Revise Reload Safety Evaluation to include impact of control rod removal on nuclear design and safety analyses
- Revise affected procedures and design documents 14
Thermal Hydraulic, Seismic and Structural Impacts
- Insertion of guide tube flow restrictor and thimble plug device maintain flow characteristics equivalent to previous configuration
- Dynamic analysis (seismic and loss of coolant accident forces) of the CRDM that was performed using the reactor equipment system model remains valid after removal of the D-6 control rod drive shaft and RCCA
- Drive shaft does not provide stiffening function - free motion 15
Impact on Safety Analyses
- Rod D-6 is a Shutdown Bank RCCA
- Accidents where at-power core power distribution is a key factor are not affected
- Evaluated Rod D-6 removal impacts
- Available shutdown margin including highest reactive stuck rod
- Boron worth when all RCCAs are inserted
- Rod worth of adjacent RCCAs when all RCCAs are inserted
- Trip reactivity as a function of time
- Most positive Moderator Density Coefficient (MDC) 16
Impact on Safety Analyses -
Available Shutdown Margin
- TS 3.1.1.1 requires shutdown margin to be within the limits of the COLR
- TS shutdown margin limits are not affected
- UFSAR Chapter 15 safety analyses remain bounding
- Actual shutdown margin reduced from 2.43% to 2.18% for Modes 1 and 2 at End of Life (EOL)
- 1.3% limit for Modes 1 and 2 currently specified in COLR Section 2.3.1 is met 17
Impact on Shutdown Margin (EOL Values Below) 18
Impact on Safety Analyses -
Boron Worth
- Potential impact to the chemical and volume control system (CVCS) malfunction resulting in a Reactor Coolant System (RCS) boron dilution in Modes 3, 4, and 5
- Rod removal impacts boron worth for the all-rods inserted condition
- Analysis conservatively determines a boron worth with all rods out, therefore there is no impact with D-6 removed from the core 19
Impact on Safety Analyses -
Rod Worth of Adjacent Rods
- Removal of Rod D-6 slightly increases the rod worth of the adjacent control rods with all RCCAs inserted
- Potential impact to results of uncontrolled RCCA bank withdrawal from a subcritical or low power startup conditions and spectrum of rod ejection accidents
- Change in rod worth is considered and is bounded by the current analysis 20
Impact on Safety Analyses -
Trip Reactivity
- Removal of Rod D-6 reduces the trip reactivity as a function of rod insertion position
- The revised trip reactivity insertion vs. position remains greater than values required by the UFSAR Chapter 15 analysis
- There is no adverse impact to analyses for events where a reactor trip occurs 21
Impact on Safety Analyses -
Moderator Density Coefficient (MDC)
- The most positive MDC is conservatively calculated assuming all rods in the core
- Updated MDC without rod D-6 remains bounded by the limiting value assumed in the Chapter 15 safety analysis 22
Impact to UFSAR Chapter 15 Accident Analyses
- Postulated accidents dependent on core power distributions while at power are not impacted
- Effects on available shutdown margin, rod worth of the adjacent control rods, boron worth, trip reactivity as a function of time, and most positive MDC are bounded
- Therefore, the removal of RCCA D-6 does not adversely impact the results presented in Chapter 15 23
Regulatory Evaluation
- Requesting proposed amendment to allow Unit 1 to resume operation with 56 fuel assemblies for Unit 1 Cycle 20
- No other changes to STP TS required
- Applicable General Design Criteria have been reviewed and are satisfied
- These items will be discussed in the proposed LAR 24
Overview of Proposed Change
- Proposed change to TS 5.3.2 (change bar on right):
25
Summary Conclusions
- Appropriate safety margins maintained with 56 rods
- One fuel cycle change (Unit 1 Cycle 20)
- Why is this TS change needed?
- As previously discussed, first of a kind change in the United States for CRDM replacement requiring a pressure boundary weld
- Significant planning and remote tooling development is required to ensure no unforeseen impact to RCS pressure boundary and associated components 26
Summary Conclusions
- TS change does not involve a methodology change
- Instrumentation setpoints and trip settings will not be affected
- No new operator actions are proposed
- Installation of flow restrictor and thimble plug -
negligible impact on thermal hydraulics
- Input will be provided for No Significant Hazards Consideration determination 27
Proposed Schedule
- Submit LAR to NRC December 4, 2015
- Approval of the proposed amendment is requested by December 11, 2015 to support Unit 1 entry into Mode 5 and resume operation
- Planned implementation of LAR actions within 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br />
- Change will remain in effect for the duration of Unit 1 Cycle 20 28
Additional Questions and Action Recap 29